Mayor’s Office Announces Jay Street Busway to be Permanent

DOT data shows increase in speeds along the busway by 47 percent. On November 19, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio and DOT Commissioner Hank Gutman announced that the Jay Street Busway in Downtown Brooklyn will now be permanent. The busway runs on Jay Street between Tillary Street and Livingston Street. The busway was in a pilot program as part of the Better Buses Restart Plan since August 2020. 


City Planning Commission Approves Two Amendments Promoting Health and Fitness

Commissioners raised concerns about the removal of special permits as a way to vet out illegitimate massage parlors. On October 20, 2021, the City Planning Commission voted to approve two applications proposed by the City to support small businesses and promote healthy food options and fitness. The two applications, the FRESH Program Expansion and the Health and Fitness Text Amendment, were part of a series of zoning proposals proposed earlier this year. 


Jamie Torres-Springer Appointed New Commissioner of Design and Construction

Torres-Springer, the former First Deputy Commissioner of the department, will be succeeding Senior Advisor for Recovery and outgoing Commissioner Lorraine Grillo. On March 23, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Jamie Torres-Springer as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Design and Construction. Torres-Springer will be succeeding Lorraine Grillo. Former Commissioner Grillo left the position earlier in March to serve as the City’s Senior Advisor for Recovery.



City Finances 30,000 Affordable Homes in 2020

The newly financed homes keep New York City on track to meet its goal to provide 300,000 affordable homes by 2026. On February 9, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the City financed the construction and preservation of 29,521 affordable homes in 2020. Fifty-seven percent of the affordable homes financed in 2020 will serve families of three that earn less than $52,000 per year. The city has financed over 177,000 homes through the Housing … <Read More>